NEW YORK — The mother of Trayvon Martin wept Saturday as she spoke to hundreds of people who gathered in New York City for one of scores of rallies held nationwide to honor the teenager shot dead by George Zimmerman.

"It was a child, who thought as a child, who acted as a child," Sybrina Fulton said plaintively of her 17-year-old son, whose death at Zimmerman's hands touched off angry protests nationwide last year and sparked an ongoing debate about racism and gun laws. Zimmerman, 29, who claimed self-defense in the Feb. 26, 2012, shooting, was acquitted by a jury in Sanford, Fla., on July 13.

While that ended the criminal case, the issue remains far from resolved, and the rally outside police headquarters in Manhattan underscored the anger that remains about the verdict.

The Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network organized the "Justice for Trayvon" rallies and vigils outside federal buildings in at least 101 cities: from New York and Los Angeles to Wichita and Atlanta, where people stood in the rain at the base of the federal courthouse, with traffic blocked on surrounding downtown streets.

In New York, Sharpton called for the repeal of laws such as Florida's "stand your ground" law, which allows anyone who feels threatened to use deadly force without an obligation to retreat from the situation.

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Sharpton said the law was not a racial issue. "This is a human thing," he roared, wondering aloud why there should be a law that says, "If you think you're under threat, you have a right to kill someone."

Sharpton also demanded the Department of Justice file civil rights charges against Zimmerman, because, he said, "Trayvon Martin had the civil right to go home that day."

Zimmerman, a neighborhood-watch volunteer in his Sanford housing complex, claimed he shot Martin after the unarmed teen attacked him.

The Justice Department has opened an investigation but faces a heavy burden of proof to show Zimmerman was motivated by race or other civil rights factors when he trailed Martin that night.

In Miami, Tracy Martin spoke about his son.

"This could be any one of our children," he said. "Our mission now is to make sure that this doesn't happen to your child."

He recalled how he vowed to Trayvon as he lay in his casket that he would seek justice.

"I will continue to fight for Trayvon until the day I die," he said.

Shantescia Hill held a sign in Miami that read: "Every person deserves a safe walk home." The 31-year-old mother, who is black, said, "I'm here because our children can't even walk on the streets without fearing for their lives."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

In colorado

About 50 demonstrators with "Justice for Trayvon" signs marched in Denver from City Park to the state Capitol park early Saturday afternoon. The Coloradoan reported that three people stood with protest signs in downtown Fort Collins.

Not all kids who play baseball are uniformed with fancy script across their chests, traveling to $1,000 instructional camps and drilled how to properly hit the cut-off man. Some kids just play to play.